


Tie The Ends Together

by Evee_chan



Category: Free!
Genre: I'll add more characters later, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-10
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2286854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evee_chan/pseuds/Evee_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's drowning. He's sinking. Everything's fraying and falling apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Falling Apart

**Author's Note:**

> Eternal Summer has my feels all overflowing and I have to get it out somehow..

" _Do whatever you want!_ "

The whistle of the fireworks punctuate his words as they reverberate in the cold night air. He has to go. Away, far far away from the man who has decided to leave him.

_He's leaving. He's leaving. He's leaving. It's all my fault. I pushed him too hard and he's abandoning me._

The pounding of his sneakers on the hard concrete does little to soothe his panicked mind that keeps going in circles. Even so, he continues to run, hoping that the pain in his chest and throat will go away.

_He hates me. He surely hates me. I'm such an idiot. He'll leave and never come back. I'll never see him again._

The pain in his feet and lungs makes him slow to a stop, though the feeling in his heart and throat have worsened tenfold. 

"Nya~"

He looks up and the snowy white cat that Makoto cherishes so, so much, is sitting in front of him. Lowering himself onto a stair, Haruka reaches out to the cat, gently stroking its fur.

"Hey... What do you suppose I should do now?"

He gets no reply, just a head butting into his arm for more attention.

_I'm crazy, talking to a cat. I'll never get a reply._

Somehow, feeling the soft, silky fur under his fingers calms Haruka more than running fast and far away from his problems.

_Maybe she'll listen. More so than anyone else._

He sighs and picks up the cat, pulling her close to his chest.

"I don't know what to do anymore. Rin, Sousuke, Rei, Nagisa, even  _Makoto_  of all people, none of them are right. I'm not free anymore. I'd rather swim alone and free rather than together and shackled down. But... Makoto's leaving me. And I  _don't_  want to be alone that way. He's all I've ever known. But... I can't keep him tied down in this town. I have to... let him go." 

He chokes on the last words, as a shuddering sob rips its way out his throat and all the tears he'd been holding back for weeks bursts through the walls he built around himself. Tears slide down his cheeks, falling onto the cat's head. She perks her ears and looks up, cocking her head.

" _It hurts..._ "

Burying his face in her fur, he finally lets go. All the frustration he held back, all the anxiety threatening to tear his world apart, it all bursts forth in a single moment.

**He's drowning. He's sinking. And he can't save himself this time.**

 


	2. Frayed Edges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything holds too many memories. Years and years of friendship instills sentiment in even the least important of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost 3 am and unbeta'd so please forgive me if there are any mistakes...

A loud boom. Then silence. Quiet, stifling silence. No more sounds of whistling and crackling fireworks come after and the final whispers of festival chatter dissipate.

A painful moment later, Haruka stands up shakily and gently places the cat he’s holding onto the ground.

“… Thanks for listening…” He mumbles. Picking up his feet and walking seems like so much effort.

_Is it really worth it? The way things ended. So many ‘if onlys’ that could have changed the outcome._

The walk home takes longer than usual. The stifling scent of gunpowder hangs heavy in the air and threatens to choke him. He nearly vomits because of the way it makes his mind whirl over the exchange with Makoto earlier. Haruka turns left and nearly walks into the fence,  being so lost in thought.

“I’m home.”

Emptiness greets him, dark and accusatory. _He_ drove Makoto away. Makoto wouldn’t be setting foot inside anymore for a long, long time, if ever.

The bathroom is to his left, a place where he used to take refuge, a place where a firm hand would pull him out of the bathtub. Now, it just reminds Haru that the one person who he thought would always be there for him would no longer do that for him. Going in there is too painful right now, no matter how much he wants to sit in a tub of water and lose himself. Even for just a moment.

He sighs and slowly pads his way to his dresser, digging around for a clean shirt to wear. Haruka instinctively goes to grab the orange and yellow shirt. He pulls it out and stares for a long minute before tossing it aside and just stripping.

_Everything in this house has too many memories. Precious, painful memories._

Falling into bed and drifting off to sleep is the only thought left in Haruka’s mind. He collapses on the mattress and pulls the blankets around him in a cocoon, hoping to silence any lingering thoughts. Sleep takes him quickly, exhausted from letting his emotions run free.

***

_Makoto is yelling._

_“It’s your fault.”_

_“I was waiting for you.”_

_“You didn’t decide so I’m leaving.”_

_“There’s a limit to how much you can push someone away, you know?”_

_“I can’t take anymore.”_

_“ **It’s entirely your fault**.”_

_The ground crumbles._

_His world shatters._

_He’s falling._

_F_

_A_

_L_

_L_

_I_

_N_

_G_

Haruka wakes in a cold sweat, blankets twisting and tangling around him as it sticks to his skin. Dimly he can hear the doorbell ringing insistently.

_Just let me go back to sleep… I want to escape. To run away from this place._

The ringing continues and Haruka gets up, pulling on a shirt and pair of pants abandoned in a corner of his room. He grits his teeth, steeling himself to meet whoever stood on the other side of the door.

Dragging his feet, everything around him seems to fray and fall apart at the seams.

_If only there was a way to fix this._


	3. Panicked Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to Australia might be just the breather Haruka needs, no matter how much it seems like he's running away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of adding a separate series of events that happens in Australia ^_^ new series ahoy~

_Ding dong._

_Ugh who is it so early in the morning?_

“Who is it…?”

The door slides open to reveal a familiar face.

“R-Rin?” Haruka says, shocked.

“Yo Haru.” He says. “Let’s go.”

“Go? Go where?” Haruka asks, confused.

“Isn’t it obvious? Australia!” Rin replies with a smirk. “Grab your things and let’s go.”

*****

The noise of the plane’s engines prevents Haruka from thinking properly and stopped his spiralling thoughts in it tracks. It also prevents him from sleeping and the resulting haggard looking Haruka emerges from the airport with a groan and struggles to keep up with Rin’s quick pace.

They end up resting at a park and Haruka gratefully sinks onto the bench surrounding a large fountain. He revels in the coolness of the fountain for a moment before looking up.

_He’s gone._

_Where did he go?_

_Did he bring me here to abandon me too?_

“Rin?”

“RIN?”

The ground begins to spin and violent shakes wrack Haruka’s thin frame as he struggles to take a deep breath.

“Haru.”

That one single word, from the lips of the one person that hasn’t left him yet pries yet another sigh from his lips. A sigh of relief, a breathed prayer of thanks that he still has somebody by his side.

“I bought us drinks.” Rin says calmly, not realizing his friend’s inner turmoil. “… Is something wrong?”

Haruka just shakes his head and gratefully accepts a bottle and takes a tentative sip.

“Hey Haru… I’m sorry about what I said to you during the tournament. I ignored your feelings and forced my own onto you.” Rin pauses, choosing his words carefully. “But… I admired you, you know? You swim so beautifully, so elegant and _free_. You beat me without even trying and you just feel pure happiness by being in the water.” He stands out and lets out a breath. “Ahh… I feel better now. Should we head out now? There are some places I’d like to go to first before it gets dark.”

*****

Rin had dragged Haruka around and boarded a bus. Before long, they arrive to the sound of waves crashing into sand.

“Hey Haru, wanna go for a dip?” Rin asks, socks and shoes abandoned on the sand. “Maybe you can calm down and think better.”

“No thanks…” Haruka mumbles. “I don’t feel like it.”

“You know, this was the place I’d always go to whenever I felt sad or alone.” Rin muses. “It was the only place that I could feel connected to everyone in Iwatobi. The smell of salt, the sound of the waves and the feeling of sand crumbling between my toes, those were the only things that were the same as back at home.”

A calming silence stretches out for a while longer before Rin stands, holding out his hand for Haruka to take.

“Come on. There’s one more place I’d like to go to before we have to head to our hotel.”

*****

The place Rin takes Haruka to is just a few minutes away from the beach they sat at. A woman and man stand outside their house, hands over their mouths and tears of happiness well up in the woman’s eyes.

“Oh my goodness it’s Rin! Welcome back!”

“How have you been, son? How are things back in Japan?” The man asks.

“I’ve been doing well, Russel!” Rin replies.

_I can’t follow along at all._ Haruka thinks.

“Haru! Don’t just stand there. Get over here!” Rin calls. “These are my home stay parents Russel and Lori.”

“Hi… my name… is Haruka Nanase…” Haruka finally manages to say, however haltingly.

The two pull Haruka and Rin inside their home, chatting happily the whole time. Rin smiles and laughs every so often and Haruka envies the way he can be so carefree sometimes.

The evening passes by in a flash, full of happy chatter, laughs and delicious food. Lori seems to know that Haruka loves mackerel and even made some just for him. Rin had everything in a home that Haruka longed for as a child, no matter how much he wouldn’t be willing to admit.

_I’m lonely… and homesick._

_I miss Makoto. He’s my home._

Soon, all the dishes have been cleared and it’s time to leave.

“You both have a place to stay, right?” Lori asks, looking slightly worried.

“Yeah.” Rin smiles. “I reserved a room in a hotel for us. We’ll have to bus there though because it’s far somewhat far away.”

“No worries!” Russel exclaims with a smile. “Me and Lori can drive you there.”

The ride in the car is quiet, Rin and Haruka tired from the long day. Old leather creaks quietly as Haruka leans his forehead against the window, trying to stop thinking about Makoto and his parents.

Before Haruka realizes, he dozes off and wakes up moments later to the car slowing to a stop. The two climb out the back door and turn to face Russel who rolls down the front window.

“Rin! Haru! Glad we got to see you two tonight! Please come visit again.”

Rin walks inside the hotel, with Haruka following closely behind. They fill out passport information and their names at the front desk and briskly make their way to room 25.

“HUH??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Rin roars.

In the middle of the well lit room, is a single bed with a dark gray comforter.

“Maybe this kind of thing is normal in Australia?” Haruka says questioningly.

Rin storms out of the room muttering under his breath and Haruka just sighs and sits on the edge of the bed. Rin would deal with it himself.

He falls back with a thump, sliding his hands over the silky comforter and his mind is blissfully blank. He zones out for a moment and Rin seems to slip back into the room moments after he left.

Rin breathes out heavily and spins their room key around his finger. “Looks like someone either has to sleep on the floor or we’re sharing…”

“I’m definitely not sleeping on the floor.” Haruka levels his gaze with Rin’s and crosses his arms.

“Well neither am I.” Rin says flatly. “Guess we’re sharing it then Haru... Just don’t hog the blankets.”

They quickly change their clothes and slide into bed. Rin clicks off the light and pillows his head on his arm, back facing Haruka.

The room is quiet save for their breathing and Rin opens his eyes. “Hey, Haru? Do you think you’ll ever find your dream? Maybe one day… you’ll find your real calling in life. Something that you love and you’re good at but gives you the freedom to swim enough to satisfy you.”

Haruka doesn’t reply, just curls up into a ball and grips the blanket tighter.

“Hey Haru… You need to decide one day. Before it’s too late. You need to make up with Makoto too, before it drags on and you can’t apologize properly anymore.

“But Rin… What if he doesn’t forgive me?” Haruka whispers, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

“It doesn’t matter if he does or not. What matters is that you said those words.” Rin turns to face Haruka, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You would’ve tried and maybe time will let him forgive you. Heck, he might just forgive you right away! He’s just that kind of person.”

Haruka takes a shuddering breath and turns to face Rin. He opens his mouth and chokes before he can even say anything, tears welling in his eyes.

“I’ll apologize to him over and over, no matter how many times it takes. Until he understands how much he means to me.”

Rin smiles and nods, satisfied. “We’ll be back in Iwatobi soon so you can apologize right when we get back. Now get some rest it’s late.”

Haruka nods, wipes his tears off onto his pillow and holds it close to him. With a sigh, he closes his eyes and the lull of Rin’s steady breathing soothes him enough so he drifts into a dark, dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, constructive criticism is appreciated! I hope you liked it~


End file.
